It was the deal of a century. Because, when Elon Musk finally bought Twitter for a whopping $44 billion a year ago - and this came only after months of drama, and waffling, and a lawsuit - it ushered in a new era in social media. A self-confessed “free-speech absolutist”, Musk said that he wanted to create a “digital town square”. So, has he? And if so, who’s populating it?  Today, business columnist Stephen Bartholomeusz on what has arguably been the worst financial deal of the century. And what Elon Musk has in store next.Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.